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Wednesday, April 2, 2014

New Stamps Release: Illuminations 1

We have new stamps!

Illuminations have been on my to-do list for a few years. I kept stalling because traditionally letter decoration is done uniquely for each letter. So I had to stop thinking like a calligrapher and do something that would work for every letter of the alphabet.

What is an illuminated letter? In the most strict sense, it is a letter gilded with gold leaf, but the term now encompasses any decorated letter. Here are a few historical examples. I won't start into the historical lecture! I can see you nodding off already....

Our Illuminations 1 consists of four different decorations designed to compliment the Quietfire Capital Double Stroke Letters. We go from traditional, semi-traditional, floral and contemporary funky.

The first of our set is similar to a 16th Century design found in an illuminated manuscript. Robyn will posting very soon sharing how she's used that.

The intertwined vines are a William Morris-type design.

The floral is the Barberry from our front yard! I adore the graceful drape of the branches (it looks lovely, but it's a lethal plant with really sharp spines).

The last design is reminiscent of designs by calligrapher Sherry Kiesel and may be used as a standard square shape or rotated to be used as a diamond. Don't worry if the letters stretch outside the box - literally! Create to your hearts content!

We hope you enjoy Illuminations for whatever projects you are working on. We look forward to seeing what you do with them! Watch over the next few weeks as the Design Team weaves their magic with our new stamps.
Happy creating! Suzanne